Shoe with detachable sole and vamp

ABSTRACT

Shoe with detachable sole and vamp, in which: the sole ( 1 ) has an upper surface ( 2 ) on which several tubular elements ( 4 ) are applied spaced from each other by a preset value; the vamp ( 7 ) has a lower surface ( 6 ) on which there are applied several tubular elements ( 8 ) spaced from each other by a preset value; the vamp ( 7 ) can be positioned onto the sole ( 1 ) by positioning said lower surface ( 6 ) of the vamp ( 7 ) onto the upper surface ( 2 ) of the sole ( 1 ) with the insertion of the tubular elements ( 8 ) of the vamp ( 7 ) between the tubular elements ( 4 ) of the sole ( 1 ); and the vamp ( 7 ) is detachably anchored to the sole ( 1 ) by inserting a wire ( 9 ) through the said tubular elements of the sole and the vamp after positioning of the vamp onto the sole. Said tubular elements of the sole ( 1 ) are placed according an open annular path, with two tubular elements ( 40, 41 ) disposed in correspondence of a respective end of the open annular path and communicating with the outside of the sole ( 1 ).

The present invention relates to a shoe with detachable sole and vamp.

In particular, a shoe according to the present invention has the soleand the vamp joined to each other in a reversible manner, by means of acoupling device which allows their firm joining, during assemblage anduse, and reciprocal separation when required.

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a shoe withdetachable sole and vamp, which is particularly simple to manufactureand to use, without prejudice for the firm coupling between the sole andthe vamp.

This result has been achieved according to the invention thanks to ashoe having the features described in claim 1. Further features of thepresent invention are the object of the dependant claims.

Thanks to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a shoe asdescribed above, in which the assembling and disassembling operations,i.e. joining the sole to the vamp and respectively separation of thesole from the vamp, are extremely simplified, thus exalting theadvantages of this type of footwear, both in terms of manufacture anduse of the shoe. Moreover, it is possible to provide a very strongjoining between the sole and the vamp in all conditions of use. At thesame time, the manufacturing of the shoe is simplified, thus reducingthe total costs.

These and further advantages and characteristics of the invention willbe best understood by anyone skilled in the art from a reading of thefollowing description in conjunction with the attached drawings given asa practical exemplification of the invention, but not to be consideredin a limitative sense, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a sole for footwear according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a vamp for footwear according to theinvention;

FIG. 3 shows the wire which joins the sole and the vamp of FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a sole for footwear according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the vamp;

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross section view of the sole at an end of theannular open circuit defined by the relevant tubular elements;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross section view of the sole at an intermediatepoint of the annular open circuit defined by the relevant tubularelements;

FIG. 9 is a schematic partial cross section view which shows thecoupling between sole and vamp at an intermediate point of the aforesaidannular circuit;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show two phases relevant to the insertion of the wire ofFIG. 3 for joining the sole and the vamp together;

FIG. 12 shows the shoe when the joining between the sole and the vamp iscompleted;

FIG. 13 schematically shows the tubular structure formed by the tubularelements of the sole and the vamp, with the joining wire (9) passingthrough the tubular structure;

FIG. 14 is a scheme showing the direction of the longitudinal axis ofsome of the tubular elements of the sole.

Reference being made to the enclosed drawings, a shoe according to thepresent invention has a sole (1), featuring an upper surface (2) whoseoutline is delimited by a raised edge (3). Said surface (2) has a hollow(10) in which there are placed more tubular elements or portions (4, 40,41) disposed according to a circuit which, substantially, reproduces theoutline of the sole within the area delimited by said edge (3). Saidtubular portions are spaced of a preset value, so that between twoadjacent-tubular portions there is a free space.

In other words, said tubular portions are placed according to asubstantially open annular path, at the inner and close to the edge (3)of the sole (1), in correspondence of a hollow (10) of the upper surface(2) of the latter; and they form a kind of toothing disposed accordingto an open annular profile, with two ends (40, 41) of the so formed openring communicating with the outside of the sole.

In practice, according to the embodiment shown in the drawings, twotubular portions (40, 41), disposed at the ends of said open annularpath, have a side internal to the said hollow (10) and a side internalto a window (5) which is formed on an external side of the sole (1) andwhich communicates with the same hollow (10).

In such a way, it is realized an open annular sequence of tubularelements disposed on the inner of the sole but communicating with theoutside.

As shown in the enclosed drawings, the elements (40) and (41) disposedat the ends of the sequence have a curvilinear axis (x), contrary to theintermediate elements (4) which have a rectilinear axis (y).

Advantageously, said window (5) is formed on the inner side of the sole(1), approximately in the heel zone, so as to result less visible.

The lower surface (6) of the vamp (7) has, in correspondence of itsborder or external edge, a corresponding sequence of tubular elements(8) which are placed according to an annular disposition and are spacedby a preset value, in order to form a kind of annular toothing withtubular teeth. The sequence of the tubular elements (8) is closed, thatis, differently from those of the sole, the tubular elements (8) aredisposed in such a way to define, in the whole, a closed annular path.

The annular profile defined by the tubular elements (8) of the vamp (7)corresponds to the annular profile defined by the tubular elements (4)of the sole (1).

In order to join the sole (1) to the vamp (7), it is used a wire (9)—forexample a wire made of plastic material like PVC—which is made to passthrough the tubular elements (4,40, 41, 8) of the sole (1) and the vamp(7), respectively.

More particularly, the vamp (7) is placed on the sole (1), so that eachtubular element (8) is disposed in the hollow (10) on the upper side ofthe sole (1) between two tubular elements (4) of the latter. In thisway, it is formed a substantially continuous tubular structure which hasthe shape of an open annular figure (because the elements 40 and 41communicate with the outside of the sole), which is internal to saidhollow (10) and which is not visible being hidden by the raised edge (3)of the sole (1). Then, through the said window (5) placed at the side ofthe sole (1), a first end of the wire (9) is passed through the tubularelement (40) and the other end is passed through the tubular element(41), as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, pushing the wire, which is forced toflow in the tubular elements (4) and (8) of the sole (1) and the vamp(7). When the wire is totally pushed, since the length of the wire (9)is the same of the length of the substantially continuous tubularstructure defined by said elements (4) and (8), only a part (90) of thewire remains in the window (5) of the sole (1), as shown in FIG. 12. Theanchoring realized by the wire (9) between the elements (4) and theelements (8) is very strong, although it is removable and, consequently,the joining between the sole (1) and the vamp (7) is correspondinglystrong. When desired, it is possible to detach the sole (1) from thevamp (7) pulling the portion (90) of the wire (9), for example by makinguse of any tool provided with a tip apt to be inserted between saidportion (90) of the wire and said window (5); when the wire (9) iscompletely extracted, the sole is detached from the vamp.

The tubular elements (4, 40, 41) of the sole (1) are attached to eachother by a base track (42) which, when the sole (1) is formed, is gluedto the bottom of said hollow (10).

Analogously, the tubular elements (8) of the vamp (7) are attached toeach other by a base track (80) which, when the vamp (7) is formed, issewn on the border of said surface (6).

The tubular elements (4, 40, 41) of the sole (1), the tubular elements(8) of the vamp (7) and the respective anchoring tracks (42, 80) can berealized in plastic materials with moulding procedures of known type.

It is however evident that the tubular elements (4, 40, 41, 8) can beapplied to the sole and the vamp in any suitable way.

In practice, the execution details may vary as regards the shape, thesize, the arrangement of the elements, the kind of material used, butthey are within the limits of the solution adopted and within the limitsof the protection offered by the present patent.

1. A shoe, comprising: a detachable sole and vamp, the sole having anupper surface on which sole tubular elements are applied spaced fromeach other by a preset value, said vamp having a lower surface on whichvamp tubular elements are applied, said vamp tubular elements beingspaced from each other by a preset value, said vamp being positionedonto the sole by positioning said lower surface of the vamp onto theupper surface of the sole with the insertion of the vamp tubularelements between the sole tubular elements, said vamp being detachablyanchored to the sole by inserting a wire through said sole tubularelements and said vamp tubular elements after positioning of the vamponto the sole, said sole tubular elements being placed according an openannular path, with two end tubular elements disposed in correspondenceof a respective end of the open annular path and communicating with theoutside of the sole, each of said end tubular elements having one sideinside said upper surface and another side on the outside of the sole,said another side being internal to a window, wherein an interior of thesole is in communication with the outside via said window.
 2. Shoeaccording to claim 1, wherein said sole tubular elements are in a hollowof the upper surface of the sole, said hollow being inside and close toa raised edge of the sole and having an annular open profile.
 3. Shoeaccording to claim 1, wherein each of said end tubular elements has aside inside said upper surface and a side on the outside of the sole. 4.Shoe according to claim 1, wherein each of said end tubular elements hasa curvilinear longitudinal axis.
 5. A shoe, comprising: a solecomprising an opening; a first plurality of tubular elements, said firstplurality of tubular elements comprising a first tubular end element anda second tubular end element; a vamp; a second plurality of tubularelements; a wire, said sole having an upper surface, said firstplurality of tubular element being applied to said upper surface, eachof said first plurality of tubular elements being located at a spacedlocation from another one of said first plurality of tubular elements,said vamp having a lower surface, said second plurality of tubularelements being applied to said lower surface, each of said secondplurality of tubular elements being located at a spaced location fromanother one of said second plurality of tubular elements, said vampbeing positioned onto the sole by positioning said lower surface of thevamp onto the upper surface of the sole, wherein said second pluralityof tubular elements are inserted between said first plurality of tubularelements, said wire being inserted through said first plurality oftubular elements and said second plurality of tubular elements, whereinsaid vamp is detachably connected to said sole via said wire, said firstplurality of tubular elements and said second plurality of tubularelements, said first plurality of tubular elements being arranged in anopen annular path, said first tubular end element being arranged at oneend portion of said open annular path, said second tubular end elementbeing arranged at another end portion of said open annular path, each ofsaid first tubular end element and said second tubular end elementhaving one end arranged at or adjacent to said opening.
 6. A shoe inaccordance with claim 5, wherein each of said first end tubular elementand said second end tubular element has another end arranged inside ahollow portion defined by said upper surface, said first tubular endelement and said second tubular end element being in communication withan environment outside of said sole via said opening, wherein aninterior of said sole is in communication with the environment outsideof said sole via at least said opening.